The Heat lost the best player in the game when LeBron James chose to join the Cavaliers in free agency, but they’ve done a nice job of maintaining a solid overall roster that may still very well be able to contend for the Eastern Conference crown.

Chris Bosh returned on a max contract, Luol deng is a capable All-Star who will replace James in the starting lineup, and Dwyane Wade is expected to be back, once the exact dollar figure and years on his next deal have all been sorted out.

Miami was also able to get its point guard to commit to re-sign, further maintaining a decent level of continuity despite LeBron’s decision.

Mario Chalmers is returning to the Miami Heat on a two-year deal, sources tell ESPN

Chalmers has been the starting point guard for the Heat for the last three seasons, and while his averages of 9.8 points and 4.9 assists in 29.8 minutes per game last year are simply serviceable, there’s a comfort level there with Erik Spoelstra trusting him on the floor when the game matters most.

The short-term deals the Heat are constructing, like this one and the similar two-year deal for Deng, are being done to maintain maximum salary cap flexibility to continue to have the ability to add talent in the very near future. LeBron isn’t likely to return when he an technically become a free agent in two years himself, but Miami is going to keep its options open in case he — or other high-impact All-Stars — seek Miami as a destination when that time comes.